Dusk
by Clara Rhyneheart
Summary: Despite Queen Tara's promise, Mary Katherine's part in the Queen's destiny is not yet over. The Forest's troubles are far more dire than Mandrake and the boggins, and only one person can save it.


**Hi! So I saw Epic a few weeks ago, and I know that I'm not the only one who thought that it should have ended differently, so here is my take on what should have happened, along with a few twists and turns of my own making. I hope you enjoy it!**

It's funny how the biggest changes in our lives happen in a split second. You could be travelling one path, and then suddenly everything gets turned upside-down, flipped sideways, and you actually like it. You wanted it, but you just didn't know until someone gave you a shove. It's those moments that change and define you.

As I clung to Nod, fighting the force that was trying to pull me back to reality, I had one of those moments. I'd spent a day with the Leafmen, but I felt more at home and at peace than I did back in the city. I didn't want to be taken away from those people or that world. I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay so badly that I could feel my heart ache and my entire being burn with this instinct to hold on, because as tight as I was gripping onto Nod, I could slowly the new Queen's power pull me away bit by bit as she came to grip with her abilities. I tried to put all of my focus into hanging on, but I couldn't help that some of it strayed to Nod.

His eyes were so deep and full of emotion that I could have drowned in them. We both had so many things to say to each other, and our time was being cut short. I had only known him for a short time, but I felt connected to him. As goofy and stupid as he was, he understood me in a way that no one else was able to, what with his father having passed. He knew the pain that I dealt with on a daily basis because it was part of him too. And there was something else about him, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but I knew it was fantastic from the way that his eyes sparked. It was something that I didn't want to leave behind.

But I wasn't going to be able to tell him any of that. I was still slipping away and wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. With the last of my strength, I pulled myself down into Nod's arms and planted my lips on his. It was my way of showing him what I didn't have time to say, and from the way he kissed me back, I knew that he was trying to do the same.

However, every good thing must come to an end. All too soon I felt a rough jerk and was yanked from his arms. As I was being pulled towards the harsh light that would send me away, I spared a glance to the Queen and screamed out a plea, but I was encompassed by a burning heat and my world went black.

The new Queen tried as hard as she could to make M.K.'s fall gentle, but the resounding thud that her body made as it hit the ground proved her effort futile. She had been trying so totally hard to conjure the energy that was needed to send the stomper home, but when she saw the looks that she shared with the Leafman as she was pulled to the vortex, along with M.K.'s desperate cry, she flipped the direction that the energy was flowing as quickly as she could. She closed the connection she had with the forest's energy just in time, but not quick enough to spare M.K. from the pain of a fall. Everyone rushed to her side, Nod being the first one there.

The Queen gave a quiet sigh and an internal fist pump. She knew that the way the Leafman looked at the stomper was something special, something she hadn't seen since before her father was killed by boggins. She'd be darned if they weren't given the chance that was taken away from her parents.

As she stood there contemplating, a cold sliver of energy shot through her. She had no idea about the nuances of her newfound powers, but her instincts were telling her that in no way were the forest's troubles solved. They also led her to believe that the tiny stomper would play a huge part in the events to come. She grinned.

This was going to be totally epic.

**So, thats that! Because this is my way of setting things up, this first chapter is fairly short. Future chapters should be around 2-4k, so they won't always be such a quick read.**

**Also, I love reviews! If you loved it, hated it, feel indifferent about it, or just want to say hi, drop a note by pressing that little button down there:) It would make my day to hear from a reader or two!**

**See you next chapter:)**


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